Of Thunder and Lightning
by nanjarohoihoi
Summary: Inui, Kaidoh, and a thunderstorm. [InuiKaidoh]


**Of Thunder and Lightning**   
  
Kaidoh pulled back the curtains and peered outside the window of Inui's room at the pitter-patter sound of rain. The sky had grown dark while they were studying, but that wasn't what bothered the tennis player. It wasn't that Kaidoh didn't like the rain. He just wasn't comfortable with what sometimes came with it.   
  
It had been a warm summer day and the humidity was high. If he had asked, Inui would have told him instantly of the high percent chance of a thunderstorm.   
  
There was tension in Kaidoh -- a feeling of foreboding that set his senses on fire, as if everything could be regarded as a threat. He could hear thunder in the distance, and jumped just slightly. The movement wasn't missed. As if sensing Kaidoh's anxiety, Inui spoke, amusement hidden somewhere in his voice.   
  
"Are you afraid of thunderstorms, Kaidoh?"   
  
Kaidoh scowled in reply, but Inui merely smirked, pushing his glasses further up his face.   
  
"Or are you afraid of what they bring?"   
  
The younger boy let out a low hiss.   
  
Inui sighed. Standing up from his desk, he walked towards the door. "Follow me." Kaidoh, happy to be given an excuse to get away from the window, followed his senpai out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.   
  
Inui didn't bother turning on any lights, and Kaidoh could feel the shivers daring to trickle up his spine as they stopped, much to Kaidoh dismay, at the sliding glass back door of Inui's home.   
  
"Senpai?"   
  
In reply, Inui looked out the window and invited Kaidoh to do the same. "Just watch."   
  
Lightning illuminated them briefly, and Kaidoh jumped, his fear more evident this time. He debated running, but his senpai told him to watch, and so he tried his best not to look away from Inui's yard and the raindrops sparkling with light from the street.   
  
A lock clicked, and Inui slid the door open. Before Kaidoh could react, he found a strong hand grasping his wrist and pulling him out the door into the rain.   
  
Kaidoh squirmed at first, but after the initial shock wore off, closed his eyes and breathed heavily, as the rain fell around them. Lightning flickered through the sky, and in the seconds between it and the thunder, the only thing that kept his fight or flight instincts from taking over was the strong hold on his wrist.   
  
"You know, Kaidoh. Thunder is merely the sonic boom that's caused by lightning." Kaidoh looked up at Inui, the rain soaking him. "They happen at the same time, but light moves faster than sound."   
  
"Ah." Kaidoh looked up at the sky.   
  
"It takes sound about five seconds to travel a single mile, so the longer the time between the lightning and thunder, the farther away the lightning is."   
  
Lightning struck once more, but this time the tightening of the grip on his wrist was accompanied by Inui's words.   
  
"One one thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand..."   
  
Kaidoh watched him. With every mile he heard spoken from his senpai, that much more of the tension left him, as if everything was clicking into place.   
  
"Four one thousand. Five one thousand. Six one thousand. Seven--"   
  
The thunder came crashing, but this time, Kaidoh didn't so much as flinch, he simply kept his eyes fixed on Inui and his thoughts concentrated on his words. Inui loosened his hold just as the lightning flashed again, but Kaidoh stood his ground.   
  
It was then that Inui turned to Kaidoh. "It's important to face your fears."   
  
Kaidoh looked up at the sky once again. "Ah."   
  
Side by side, Inui inched closer to his kouhai until their bodies were just touching. A smile on his face, he placed his hand on Kaidoh's back. "Are you still afraid?"   
  
Kaidoh breathed deeply and without removing his gaze from the skies, he let his head fall against his senpai's shoulder. "...No."   
  
Inui smiled, resting his head on Kaidoh's, as they watched the rain dance around them.   
  
In the distance the thunder roared.   
  



End file.
